NOTES ON MANCHURIA
was very anxious for me to get some
captain to take him the following sum
mer, with his family, canoe, and outfit,
to the northeast as far as the ship went,
and then he would try to find this mys
terious land of which he had heard so
much; but no one cared to bother with
this venturesome Eskimo explorer. So
confident was this man of the truth of
these reports that he was eager to sail
away into the unknown, like another
Columbus, in search of an Eskimo par
adise."
" The only report of land having been
seen by civilized man in this vicinity was
made by Captain John Keenan, of Troy,
New York, in the seventies. He was
at that time in command of the whaling
bark Stamboul, of New Bedford. Cap
tain Keenan said that after taking sev
eral whales the weather became thick,
and he stood to the north undereasy sail,
and was busily engaged in trying out
and stowing down the oil taken. When
the fog cleared off, land was distinctly
seen to the north by him and all the
menofhiscrew;but,ashewas noton
a voyage of discovery and there were
no whales in sight, he was obliged to
give the order to keep away to the south
in search of them. The success of his
voyage depended on keeping among
whales.
" The fact was often discussed among
the whalemen on the return of the fleet
to San Francisco in the fall. The posi
tion of Captain Keenan's ship at the
time land was seen has passed from my
mind, except that it was between Har
rison and Camden Bays."
It will be noticed that these state
ments would place the island a little to
west of the position shown on the ac
companying map.
NOTES ON MANCHURIA
BY U. S. CONSUL HENRY B. MILLER, NIUCHWANG, MANCHURIA
BELIEVE there is no place in the
world where the wagon or cart
traffic is equal to that of Niuch
wang. The carts compete with the
railroads in a haul of 400 miles or more.
During the winter months, when the
roads are firmly frozen, there are not
less than 2,000 carts, each carrying two
tons, per day coming to the port, each
drawn by from four to seven mules or
ponies. Some of these carts are from
thirty to forty days on the roads, in order
to reach the market. It is under such
conditions as these that the trade of
Niuchwang, amounting to nearly $20,
000,000 per year, has grown. It is a
mistake to attribute the growth of this
trade to the building of the Russian
railway. The railways are just begin
ning to have an influence toward im-
proving the trade of the country, and
the natives are only beginning to alter
their methods to meet these new con
ditions. It is plain that the railways
will add much to the development of
the productiveness and trade of the
country, but that remains for the future
to show. The country has made this
marvelous growth independent of the
railways, and what it will do with them
will depend upon the wisdom of the
railway management.
Before 1902 practically all the foreign
trade in Manchuria came through the
port of Niuchwang, and the Chinese an
nual customs returns gave the complete
statement of imports and exports for all
the country. This was altered to a con
siderable extent by imports and exports
in 1902 through Dalny, Port Arthur,
26I